Rose: A Timeless Love Story
by ravensilver.darkwood
Summary: Every story, new or ancient are tales of love at heart. Rated K for safety. I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS, THE PLOT OR THE MUSIC. Let me know what you think
1. Act 1 Ch 1

"Isn't that an amazing piece of artwork?" a woman asked her companion as they walked around the museum. "I can't believe it survived that long in the sand and the elements."

"I guess its beautiful if you like that sort of thing," her companion replied, bored as they moved to another part of the museum.

I smiled to myself as I walked around, taking in each piece of art, remembering it as it were a thousand years ago.

I made to go over to a display case containing a mannequin in ancient Gallifreyan royal dress when something caught my eye. It was a section of an ancient burial chamber, a tomb used only for nobility and royalty.

I approached it carefully and walked around it. I knew this burial chamber only too well. It was a symbol of a sin I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I looked up to see a young man with unruly brown hair staring at it as well. He circled it before realizing what it was.

_Every story, tale or memoir_

_Every saga or romance_

_Whether true or fabricated_

_Whether planned or happenstance_

_Whether sweeping through the ages_

_Casting centuries aside_

_Or a hurried brief recital _

_Just a thirty minute ride_

_Whether bright or melancholy_

_Rough and ready, finely spun_

_Whether with a thousand players_

_Or a lonely cast of one_

_Every story, new or ancient_

_Bagatelle or work of art_

_All are tales of human failing_

_All are tales of love at heart_

We both stared at the ancient chamber for quite some time, neither of us meeting the other's gaze.

I looked up and stared at the young man, and he stared at me. That's when everything changed.

Our eyes locked as the museum visitors froze in their places and the mannequin in ancient dress came alive and stepped from her display case.

_This is a story _

_Of a love that flourished_

_In a time of hate_

_Of lovers no tyranny could separate_

_Love set into motion on the river's shore_

_Destiny ignited by an act of war_

_Gallifrey saw the mighty river as its very heart and soul_

_Source of life for all her people_

_That only Gallifrey could control_

_Destruction of her southern neighbor justified _

_Pyrovillia exploited, left with little more than pride_

In a dream-like motion, the museum dissolved and I am back on the barges of Gallifrey. Taken from my home, never to return again…


	2. Act 1 Ch 2

_We have swept to glory, Gallifrey's mastery expands_

_From the planet's northern delta to the dry dry southern sands_

_The more we find, the more we see, the more we come to learn_

_The more that we explore, the more we shall return_

_Fortune favors the brave!_

_Its all worked out, my road is clear_

_The lines of latitude extend_

_Way beyond my wildest dreams_

_Towards some great triumphant end_

_We seize the day, we turn the tide_

_We touched the stars, we mocked the grave_

_We moved into uncharted lands_

_Fortune favors the brave!_

_The more we find, the more we see_

_The more we come to learn_

_The more we that we explore,_

_The more we shall return_

_Nothing is an accident_

_We are free to have it all_

_We are what we want to be_

_Its in ourselves to rise or fall_

_This is easy to believe_

_When distant places call to me_

_Its harder from the palace yard_

_Fortune favors the free_

_Fortune favors the young!_

_Fortune favors the brave!_

"Don't drop that, you buffoon! It's worth a fortune!" the young Capitan said as his soldiers loaded their spoils onto the ship. He grinned to himself, taking in the triumph of the spoils of war.

"Move along! Worthless scum!" a soldier said from behind him. He turned around to see a soldier shoving a group of frightened women onto the barge.

"Ah, what do we have here?" he asked as he walked over to the group of women.

"We found 'em back on Pyrovillia, Capitan. They were wanderin' around by the river and they tried to get away after one of us spotted 'em, but we caught 'em," the soldier said, grinning.

"Your planet's at war, yet you go poking your nose around the river's edge, trying to get a better look at what's happening to your planet? You must have a burning desire to see the world. Put this wench in chains," he said to me as he walked away from the women and I. "Did you finish that map?"

"Yes sir," the soldier replied, producing the map.

"Excelle- wait a minute. This is all wrong. From the observation deck, it looked like it curved more to the south, like this," the Capitan said, retracing the path so that it was accurate.

"Hey, you wench! Give that back!" a drunken sailor shouted as I snatched his sword from him and put it to his neck.

"Release them!" I said.

The young Capitan set the map down and walked over to me, his hand out.

"Hand it over. Now!" he barked.

"You took us from Pyrovillia…and now, you say we 'belong' to you, right?" I asked, the sword still at his neck.

"Yes."

"Well, I took this soldier from your ranks. So, according to you, he now belongs to me. Now, I demand you let them go!"

The Capitan said nothing, but smiled and motioned to the women. Taking the Capitan's hint, the soldiers grabbed them from behind and put their own swords to their hostages' neck. I set the stolen sword down in defeat and pushed the soldier away.

"Throw her in the brig," he snapped as he snatched his sword from the barge.

"No," the Capitan said, grinning. "I have a better use for her." He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the steps to the ship's lower quarters.


	3. Act 1 Ch 3

"No!" I said, putting up my hands in defense.

"What? You don't want me to remove your shackles?" the Capitan asked me.

"Oh. Yes, please remove them," I replied holding out my hands for the young Capitan.

"That little stunt you pulled up there was very impressive," he said as he tossed my shackles aside, grinning. "I should enlist you in my army. Make you a Lieutenant."

"Are you mocking me?" I asked him, rubbing my wrists where the shackles cut me.

"No. I'm admiring you," he said as he dropped his military jacket and affects on the floor and sat down on a stool in front of me. "Do you know why I brought you down here? You're going to wash the stink of battle from my skin. It's been quite a while since I've been clean."

I picked up the sopping sponge and started scrubbing his back fiercely, making him wince.

"You're much better with a sword than you are with a sponge," he mumbled.

"I wish I had a sword now," I mumbled.

"There's mine. Help yourself to it," he said, grinning. "Who taught you to use a deadly weapon?"

"My father did," I mumbled.

"Because he knows Pyrovile men can't protect their women?" he said.

I stopped, the sponge still in my hand.

"You're not finished yet," he snapped.

"Oh, yes I am!" I replied, my heart beating wildly against my ribs.

"ON YOUR KNEES!" he bellowed as he stood up and whirled around, sending the stool flying. "YOU ENJOY LIVING DANGEROUSLY, DON'T YOU?!"

"JUST AS MUCH AS I ENJOY WASHING YOUR DISGUSTING GALLIFREYAN SKIN!" I bellowed back, throwing the sponge against the wall.

"YOU!"

NO! _You know nothing about me and care even less_

_How could you understand our emptiness_

_You've plundered our wisdom, our knowledge, our wealth_

_In bleeding us dry_

_You long for our spirit_

_But that you will never possess_

_The past is now another land_

_Far beyond my reach_

_Invaded by insidious_

_Foreign bodies, foreign speech_

_Where timeless joys of childhood_

_Lie broken on the beach_

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Rose."

"Sir, we're getting ready to dock!" said a sailor from the top of the stairs.

The young Capitan bent to pick up the shackles he deposited on the floor earlier and forced them back on my wrists.

"No! Please, leave them off!" I pleaded.

"You're a slave now. And if you want to survive, you'd better remember that," he warned as he joined his soldiers on the bridge.


	4. Act 1 Ch 4

_The present is an empty space_

_Between the good and bad_

_A moment leading nowhere_

_Too pointless to be sad_

_But time enough to lay to waste_

_Every certainty I had_

_The future is a barren world_

_From which I can't return_

_Both heartless and material_

_Its wretched spoils not my concern_

_Shining like an evil sun_

_As my childhood treasures burn_

_Shining like an evil sun_

_As my childhood treasures burn_

"Psst, Mickey! Mickey!" a man hissed, motioning him over to the edge of the docks. "Do you have it?"

"Do you have the gold?"

"Mickey!"

"Master! I'm so glad you made it home safely," he said as the man ran towards the market.

"Have you kept things in order while I was gone?" the Capitan asked.

"Yes, everything's in order…although I'm afraid that a few barrels of your best wine have gone missing," Mickey said gravely.

"Not again?" the Capitan groaned.

"Yes…again," said Mickey, nodding his head.

"Ah, my son. Home at last! Step aside Mickey," Chief Minister Jack growled as he and his ministers pushed passed Mickey.

"Oh yes, Chief Minister Jack. Beloved by the people, the Osirans and himself," said Mickey, mockingly bowing out of Jack's way.

"You be careful, boy, or I'll have you-" Jack snarled as he walked towards Mickey

"It's great to see you, father," said the Capitan, stepping between the two bickering men.

"You were gone for a long time, Theta. I was worried. You weren't injured in battle, were you?" Jack asked his son.

"No, I've returned unscathed," Theta said smiling

"I kept telling the princess no one could beat you with a sword, but she wouldn't listen. Nearly worried herself into a tizzy, she did," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No one got the better of me, though a woman might have," Theta mumbled.

"Really?" Jack asked, surprised.

"That's not important. Listen, beyond the planet Nefrin, lies a direct path to the planet Pyrovillia," Theta said.

"Then we can take the planet by surprise…excellent. Did you record the landscape?"

"Are you kidding? With the maps we made, an illiterate buffoon could make his way through Pyrovillia," Theta said, pulling a folded map out if his pocket for his father to see.

"And, you brought home captives. Excellent," Jack said, grinning as he noticed the group of women guarded by soldiers. "Take them down to the mines. We can't seem to keep anyone alive down there."

"Wait!" Theta said as the soldiers herded the women and I towards the slave market. "Not her. She's going to be a gift for the princess," he explained to Jack as he took me from the group.

"Indeed. She'll be expecting something from your latest journey," Jack said.

"Take the lot to the groundskeepers at the palace. They can help the others with the harvest," he said, addressing the soldiers.

"They're all women, father, they wouldn't last a day in the mines."

"As you wish. They're your slaves to do with as you please," said Jack, turning to converse with his ministers.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"Give me your hands, Rose," he said.

"Y-your name's Rose?!" Mickey gasped in shock.

"Mickey, be quiet!" he snapped as he turned his attention back to me. "I'm going to remove these for you. Just know that if you try to escape, I'll follow you myself."

"You flatter me, Capitan. You don't seem like the sort of man that would chase after women," I said, staring at him.

"The only exception to that is you. Mickey, take her to Princess Martha with my blessings," said Theta, clearly a dismissal.

"Yes, sir," said Mickey, as he and I turned to walk to the palace.

"You've been gone for so long, Theta, I really think a well groomed personal appearance is in order," Jack insisted to his son.

"In good time, father. Though both you and the princess should know that as soon as my soldiers are rested, we're setting off again."

"You can't! Theta, Gallifrey needs you now more than ever! The Lord President isn't the powerful leader he was when you left," Jack said, shocked.

_While you've been away cavorting_

_Matters here have moved apace_

_Now I need you home supporting_

_All the plans I've put in place_

_First of all this means your wedding_

_You'll recall your future bride_

_For the way that Lord President's heading_

_Time's no longer on our side_

_According to the Osirans,_

_Our most regal invalid_

_Is not that much longer for us_

_Build another citadel!_

"What do you mean the Lord President's not as powerful as he was when I left? Is he ill? Is it serious?" Theta asked, worried.

"I'm afraid he is ill, and it is indeed serious," Jack said grimly.

"I have to go and see him."

"That will bring him some comfort. I shall see you at the banquet, my son," Jack said as Theta took off towards the palace.

Theta nodded and left his father'standing at the docks as Jack turned back to his ministers.

_There are many who'll be tearful_

_As our leader fades away_

_But our architects are cheerful_

_And each dog must have its day_

_If our planet is to flourish,_

_Then my son must take the lead_

_Be our inspiration, nourish_

_All our hopes, our dreams, our creed_

_Soon our monarch will have filled a_

_Tomb just like his fathers did_

_Summon Gallifrey's greatest builders_

_Re: another citadel_

_We'll extend fair Gallifrey's power_

_Gallifrey's glory, strength, and style_

_We shall have our finest hour_

_Far beyond the Eye of Harmony_

_He must have a vault that's grand by_

_Any standards, floor to lid_

_Put five thousand slaves on stand by_

_Build another citadel!_

"Did you extract more Aspirin like I told you to?" Jack asked one of his ministers.

"Who would have thought the olivine mines would have such a great supply of aspirin? Put a little bit in the Lord President's wine again tonight at the banquet. Just a few drops though. We don't want him dying…just yet," Jack said as he and his ministers left the docks to plot and plan.


	5. Act 1 Ch 5

"There you go. Now you look like a handmaid. At least the Capitan saw you were special," said Mickey as we walked through the halls of the palace.

"What that man understands could be sketched on a tiny piece of rock from the Moon of Poosh," I mumbled furiously.

"That might be true, but Theta did save you and the other women from the mines," Mickey retorted.

"That was surprisingly decent of him," I sighed.

"When I was a boy, Theta saved me from being beaten to death by the guards. He promised that he'd look out for me from that day on, and he's kept that promise," Mickey said.

"Look, I know what you must be thinking…that I'm a traitor and I've become one of them. But you're wrong, I'm still Pyrovile, and I'll always be Pyrovile," he continued when I said nothing

"Of course," I said, smiling.

_Mickey:_

_I grew up in your hometown_

_At least began to grow_

_I hadn't got to my first shave_

_before the body blow_

_Gallifreyans in the courtyard_

_My family in chains_

_You witnessed our abduction_

_Which possibly explains_

_How I know you_

_How I know you_

_Before that fateful morning_

_My family enjoyed_

_A privileged existence_

_For my father was employed_

_As advisor to the King no less_

_Which surely rings a bell_

_For as your are his daughter_

_You probably can tell_

_How I know you_

_Yes I know you_

_Rose:_

_You know too much and what you say_

_Is better left unknown_

_And now I'm just a slave, like you_

_Our lives our not our own_

_Mickey:_

_I never have abandoned_

_And nor I think could you_

_That spark of hope for freedom_

_No terror can subdue_

_Rose:_

_My only hope is silence_

_You've never seen my face_

_Mickey:_

_No you remain a princess_

_In any time or place_

_Rose:_

_You don't know me_

_Mickey:_

_Yes, I know you_

_Rose:_

_You don't know me_

_Mickey:_

_How I know you_

_How I know you_

"Your Highness," Mickey said, bowing.

"No! Mickey, you've got to treat me as any other slave in this place. If the Gallifreyans knew I was the daughter of the Pyrovile king…" I whispered, looking around for servants who could hear us.

"They'd kill you. But our people…we can keep your secret!" Mickey said.

"No! You can't tell anyone who I am! From this moment on, I'm nothing more than a gift from a Gallifreyan Capitan to his princess," I sighed.

"For your information, Martha is more than that to Theta. She's his fiancée," Mickey said, leaning against a pillar.

"When's he suppose to be married?" I asked.

"The day his ship is destroyed and the royal builders protest against building another. Let's get you to the princess," Mickey said as we walked on.


	6. Act 1 Ch 6

"It's such a pain maintaining perfection," said Martha as she entered the bath, her ladies in waiting following close behind. "But its worth the effort, don't you think?"

"Oh yes!"

"It's definitely worth it!"

"You're abolutely perfect!"

"Really? Perfect? If I'm so perfect, maybe one of you can explain to me why Theta, the man chosen by the Great Osirans to be my one and only is neglecting me! He's gone to see my father. I heard he's been to see his father. I bet he's probably chumming it up with every withered old man on the face of the planet. Clearly, the thought of visiting a gorgeous, young princess leaves him cold," she signed as she sat down at a mirror.

"Princess Martha: first in wisdom, beauty and accessories. Capitan Theta hasn't forgotten you. He knows that you'll be at the banquet tonight dressed in your finest gown, and he can hardly wait to see you. But for now, he sends this gift to you," said Mickey, bowing low at Martha's feet.

"Another handmaid?! I don't need another handmaid!" Martha snapped in disgust. "Does this gift have a name?"

"Rose," I said.

The bath went silent.

"Did you just speak to me?" Martha snapped again.

"My name is Rose, princess. And I thought you'd like to kn-"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Martha shrieked. "You don't tremble. You don't avert your eyes. Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Would you be happier if I was?" I asked her.

"No," she said, eyeing me.

"Then I'm only doing as you wish," I said simply

"That's true. You were saying something ab-"

"Capitan Theta," I interrupted.

"What do you know about him?" Martha asked, completely forgetting the audience behind her.

"I only know that he's doing well. He wasn't injured in battle, and he came home completely unscathed," I said.

"I did! I was so…you're very confident, aren't you, Rose?" Martha asked me.

"Occasionally. My true talent is with a needle. If you would allow me, your grace, I will make you a gown in a shade close to that of your eyes. There's a dyeing process that we use on Pyrovillia that makes fabric glow. It would make you even more of a stunning beauty than you already are," I said, thinking on my feet.

Again the room fell silent. The ladies in waiting stepped back several steps, waiting for Martha's temper to explode.

"A slave that knows her fabrics?! I'm keeping this one! Theta knows me, he really really knows me! Go on Mickey, show Rose the sewing room," said Martha, a clear dismissal.

_In life, one has to face a huge assortment_

_Of nauseating fads and good advice_

_There's health and fitness_

_Diet and deportment_

_And other pointless forms of sacrifice_

_Conversation? Wit? I am a doubter_

_Manners? Charm?_

_They're no way to impress_

_So forget the inner me , observe the outer_

_I am what I wear and how I dress_

_Oh now I believe in looking_

_Like my time on earth is cooking_

_Whether polka dotted_

_Striped or even checked_

_With the some glamour guaranteeing_

_Every fiber on of my being_

_Is displayed to quite remarkable effect_

_From your cradle via trousseau Ah_

_To your deathbed you're on view, so Ah_

_Never compromise, accept no substitute Ah_

_I would rather wear a barrel Ah_

_Than conservative apparel Ah_

_For my dress has always been Ah_

_My strongest suit _

_Overwear_

_Underwear_

_Anytime_

_Anywhere_

_Staying in or hitting town wards _

_From the top and working downwards _

_I ensure that every stitch _

_Whether wig or hat or turban Is stitched in time_

_Whether clad boudoir or urban _

_Not to strut your stuff _

_Outrageously is a crime _

_And the few who are invited _

_To my wardrobe are delighted _

_As they wander through my things _

_To find en route _

_Ooh negligee_

_That in negligee or formal _

_Ooh anything but normal _

_I am anything but normal_

_Ooh ah_

_For my dress has always been _

_Overwear, underwear_

_My strongest suit _

_Anytime, anywhere_

_Overwear, underwear_

_I said anytime Anytime_

_So bring me all my finest_

_Most audacious, my divinest _

_Most revealing _

_Most expensive and to boot _

_Most arresting_

_Dress has always been_

_My strongest suit_

"Now, let's get ready for the banquet," Martha said as she and her ladies in waiting left the bath.


	7. Act 1 Ch 7

Mickey was poking around the Lord President's banquet hall when Theta came running, out of breath.

"Mickey! There you are! Was the princess pleased with my gift?" Theta asked.

"Oh yes. Rose made herself indispensable in record time," Mickey said, grinning.

"I'm not surprised. Did she tell you anything about herself? Because I've never met a woman quite like her before and I couldn't help but wonder if-"

"No! Nothing! She didn't say anything!" Mickey said loudly as he ran from the banquet hall. Theta sighed and followed Mickey out of the banquet hall.

"I keep telling you not to run around barefoot but you never listen! You could hurt yourself!" Sarah-Jane told her son Luke as they entered the deserted banquet hall with table clothes in their arms.

"I'll remember that next time, mum, I promise," Luke said as he helped his mother and a few other servants set the table.

They finished setting the table in record timing and stepped out of the way as the Lord President made his way to the head of the table, looking gravely ill.

Soon after, Chief Minister Jack entered followed closely by his ministers. The last to enter the banquet hall was Theta with Martha clutching his arm.

"You look lovely this evening," he said as they sat down.

"Thank you," Martha said, tucking in.

"Is this the newest fashion?"

"It is now. So, I hear your expedition went well. Where did you go this time?" she asked.

"No where special. We were farther than Pyrovillia where no Gallifreyan has ever set foot," he replied as palace servants poured the Lord President's best wine into glasses and handed them to the diners.

"That sounds very…lovely. Maybe next time I can go with you," she said smiling.

"If you'd like to, princess, but I'm not sure if you would like it. We sleep in cramped quarters, live on tiny rations of Moon bread, and last time the water was so tainted, we were vomiting for days," he said as he took a sip of wine.

"On second thought, maybe I'd be better off staying at the palace," Martha said, disgusted.

I was busy serving wine when one of the palace servants whispered in my ear, "Princess, word of your arrival to Gallifrey has spread through the Pyrovile camps."

As the servant moved away, another approached me, whispering, "Your people are very eager to see you, your highness. Welcome!"

The servant took her place once more. I turned around and glared at Mickey, who had been standing behind the Lord President. "What have you done?!" I mouthed to him.

I shook my head and continued to pour wine. Mickey made his way around the table until he was right behind me.

I took my place with the other servants. "Mickey! Why did you tell them?! I swore you to secrecy!" I hissed.

"I've only told one person! Besides, your people needed to know you're here!" Mickey hissed back.

"Capitan Theta, to another successful expedition. Thanks to you, your soldiers and the routes we've discovered, Gallifrey will be able to attack Pyrovillia with overwhelming force! The Osirans willing, this long war will soon end with Gallifrey's complete and final victory," said the Lord President raising his glass. "Martha, shall I continue on?"

"Whatever you wish to do, father," Martha replied.

"Theta, you came to me earlier this evening with a request to set off on another journey. I have a more important quest for you. Despite the fact that it means you will never leave Gallifrey again, I believe this will be a very joyous task for you. A task I would only trust to a man long regarded as one of my own family," the Lord President stated, turning in his throne to look at Theta.

"It's been an honor to serve you, your highness," Theta said, nodding his head.

"As all of you know, Capitan Theta and my daughter have been engaged for over nine years now. Long enough, I should say!" the Lord President said as the banquet hall filled with laughter.

"My dearest daughter, I want you and our nation to be happily settled before I leave the world of the living. So, in seven days time, Theta, son of Jack will wed the Princess Martha. The Son of the Osirans has spoken." The Lord President finished his speech as the hall filled with applause.

"Thank you father," Martha said as she beamed. Her father nodded to her, turning away to cough.

"Your highness!" Mickey said loudly as the Lord President began coughing up blood. He was rushed from the hall by his personal servants, quickly followed by Martha and Mickey.

"A toast to the groom. If I'd have known such a gangly, awkward little girl could turn into such a stunning young beauty, I'd have married her myself," Jack said as he took another sip from his glass of wine.

"It's not too late, you know," Theta mumbled.

"What's wrong with you? I thought you loved Martha!" Jack asked, slightly shocked by his son's comment.

"Of course I do! We grew up together," Theta said hastily.

"Then what's wrong with you? Theta, I've spent years working towards this grand day. You are not going to ruin this for me…or for yourself!" Jack snarled as he left the chamber.

_Nothing is an accident_

_We are free to have it all_

_We are what we want to be_

_Its in ourselves to rise or fall_

_This is easy to believe_

_When distant places call to me_

_Its harder from the palace yard_

_Fortune favors the free_

"Wait! Stay!" he said as I turned to leave.

"Yes, Capitan? Did you need something?" I asked timidly.

"Where are you from?" he asked me.

"Xida…it's a small village on the..."

"…on the planet Pyrovillia. The sky is a completely different color there," Theta said.

"No, it's a completely different color here," I mumbled.

"Fair enough," he said sitting back down at the table.

"My father and I used to spent days traveling the skies. He'd let me choose where to go. Sometimes, I'd stop at a deserted planet and spent hours just wandering around, taking its beauty," I said, smiling at the memories.

"Did you ever travel past the Moon of Poosh?" he asked.

"No. My father thought that, since Poosh was so close to Gallifrey, it would be too dangerous of a place to take me," I said, taking a seat across from him.

"But there are no Gallifreyans past the Moon of Poosh. Only tiny grassy planets that are completely uninhabited. The skies are so different there. On Gallifrey, the sun is direct and harsh, but on Pyrovillia it shimmers. It's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," Theta sighed.

"Of course its beautiful. It's Pyrovillia. I would like to see that part of my planet again," I said with a look of longing on my face.

_Theta_

_To fly away to half discovered places_

_To see the secrets so few eyes have seen_

_To see moments of enchantment on our faces_

_The moments when we smile and those in between_

"Are you talking about Pyrovillia now?" I asked him.

"In a way, I suppose I am," Theta replied.

_Rose:_

_If I could leave this place then I'd be sailing_

_To corners of my land where there would be_

_Sweet southern winds of liberty prevailing_

_The beauty so majestic and so free_

"One day I will take you exploring with me. Where ever your heart takes us. You can be my guide," Theta said suddenly, looking at me.

"Would you let me fly your ship?" I asked him eagerly.

"Would you dock us on a random planet?"

"Oh yes! Where ever there are no people. I'd run onto the land, kick off my shoes, and run. And there'd be no one there to tell me to behave like a…to behave," I said, catching myself.

_Theta:_

_There'd be no ties of time and space to bind me_

_Rose:_

_And no horizon I could not pursue_

_Theta_

_I'd leave the world's misfortunes far behind me_

_Rose:_

_I'd put my faith and trusting in something new_

_**Theta and Rose:**_

_**But why should I tell you this**_

_Rose:_

_A stranger I just met_

_Theta:_

_A woman whom I hardly know at all and should forget_

_**Theta and Rose:**_

_**A journey we can only dream of**_

_**Enchantment passing through**_

_**And how is it I say these things**_

_**So easily to you**_

"What am I thinking?! I'll never take you exploring with me! I'm never going to leave Gallifrey again! Instead, I'll sit on my throne and send other people out on exploration missions!" Theta said, shaking his head as he stared at me, as though I put the idea into his head.

"You sound like you're the one that's been enslaved!" I said, my voice growing louder.

"Maybe not with chains. But with a stupid marriage promise!" Theta shouted. "What's that for?!"

"To dry the tears coming from my eyes! Forced to marry a princess?! What a harsh life you have! I have an idea: why don't you travel to some distant planet where people have been living for centuries and say that you've 'discovered them.' But instead, you're being forced onto the Lord President's throne! What a great tragedy," I said sarcastically, pretending to wipe my eyes with my scarf.

"You've gone too far!"

"No! You're the one that's gone too far! If you don't like your fate, change it! You are your own master, there are no shackles on you! So don't expect any pity or understanding from me!" I shouted as I stormed out of the banquet hall.

"STOP! I COMAND YOU TO STOP!" Theta bellowed at my back.

_Theta_

_But why did I tell her this?_

_A stranger I've just met_

_A woman who I hardly know at all and will forget_

_Anonymous and gone tomorrow_

_Enchantment passing through_

_And all I've done is tell her things_

_she already knew_

_She knew ...She knew..._


	8. Act 1 Ch 8

I entered Martha's bedchamber quietly and noticed that she was sitting at her vanity, furiously brushing her hair. Smiling, I walked over to her.

"Here…let me," I said gently as I took the brush from Martha.

Martha handed my her brush and sat back as I brushed her hair.

"How's your father?" I asked.

"I just don't understand, Rose. This illness of his came on so suddenly. Weeks ago, he was healthy as a horse. The royal physicians have no idea what's wrong with him either," Martha said grimly. "Well, wasn't that a magnificent feast?" Good, a lighter subject.

"Yes it was your highness," I replied.

"There's still so much to be ready for the wedding. From the bronze statues of me, to the centerpieces of wildflowers and lilies to look like…me."

"It must be very difficult for you," I said.

"Planning a wedding?"

"No, being a princess," I said carefully.

"You have no idea. The responsibilities are…very overwhelming."

"Your must people expect so much from you."

"They expect a miracle worker, and I'm just…"

"Human."

"Exactly."

_Martha:_

_I may leave a great impression_

_As I race through a succession_

_Of the latest crazes, chase the newest fad_

_I feel better when beguiling_

_Find that fashion keeps me smiling_

_But in my heart I know it's rather sad_

_Rose:_

_That a life of great potential_

_Is dismissed, inconsequential_

_Martha:_

_And only ever seen as being cute_

_So I'll flutter to deceive_

_Rose:_

_Oh no you must believe_

_That one day you're bound to find_

_**Rose and Martha:**_

_**A Stronger Suit**_

She looked up from her mirror and whirled around in surprise.

"Theta! This is my bedchamber. You can't just…you're not supposed to…you know you shouldn't be…Rose, leave," Martha stammered as Theta came bursting into her bedchamber.

"No, Rose, stay. Pour the princess a glass of wine," Theta said.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Capitan? You know its not necessary!" Martha said, giggling.

"Is that your bed in there?" Theta asked, pointing to an adjacent chamber.

"Covered in silk and plump with feathers."

"Go in and I'll be there in a moment," Theta said.

"Theta, are you sure?! We're going to be married in a week," Martha said, slightly shocked.

"Martha, my love. We've been engaged for nine years," Theta reminded her.

"You have a point," Martha said, jumping up and skipping into her bedchamber.

"Did you think you could get away with talking to me like that?! Don't forget that I could have you dragged away to the mines at any moment!" Theta hissed when Martha was out of sight.

"Don't forget that I'm her property now, not yours!" I hissed back.

"None of it matters anyway…because I know that you were right after all," Theta sighed as he stared at my bewildered look. "What?"

"I'm just shocked. Even in enlightened Pyrovillia, one never hears a man admit that he's wrong," I said sarcastically.

"Theta, I'm ready," Martha called.

"I'll be right there, my love. Rose, I was wrong. I've been very selfish. If the Lord President doesn't recover, Gallifrey is going to need a new leader. A strong leader. And I don't think Martha is ready for that role," Theta said.

"Theta, come and claim your kingdom!" Martha called from her bedchamber.

"She's waiting for you. You should go to her," I said, trying to change the subject.

"Were you a noblewoman before you were captured and brought here?" Theta asked.

"Does it matter? There's nothing noble about me now," I mumbled.

"It does matter. You're very noble…courageous…and brave. There aren't very many of us that dare to speak so openly and honestly. And considering you're a slave-"

"Yes, we can't leave out the fact that I'm a slave," I said, staring at that floor.

"I can't go back in time and fix the past, Rose. Besides even if I could…I'm not sure I'd want to. Rose, I-"

"Theta!" Martha said, storming into her dressing room, pushing me out of her way.

"You barged into my bedchamber uninvited, waging a full frontal assault, so to speak…and now, you're stalling! Why?!" Martha asked, pulling up the bed sheet she had wrapped around herself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I wa-"

"There's a naked princess lounging in her bed, calling your name! What exactly didn't you realize? Before our wedding night, pack up some of that Moon bread and have the royal cartographer draw you a map of the female body, Capitan. Maybe then you'd be inclined to come explore," Martha snapped, staring at the young Capitan.

He said nothing and left her bedchamber, leaving her stunned.

"Was it something I said?! When we were children, we understood each other so well. Now I don't understand him at all," Martha sighed as she went to her bedchamber and shut the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.


	9. Act 1 Ch 9

"Ah, Rose, there you are. Will you come with me for a minute?" Mickey asked when he at long last found me sitting under a tree in the palace garden.

"Where?" I asked, looking up at him.

"The Pyrovile camp," he said

I stood up and started to walk away before Mickey caught up to me.

"Look, everyone in that camp knows I'm the go-to person when they need something. And our people…they've asked me to bring them…you," Mickey said.

"Why do they want to see me? So they can see the stupid fool that got them captured? Mickey, that is what I am. My father told me not to leave the boundaries of our village. I took Donna and the other women with me to the river and that's where the Gallifreyans captured us. I deserve this," I said, shaking my head, blinking tears away. "Our people deserve someone who can put their people's' needs ahead of their own. That clearly isn't me."

"Rose, the Pyroviles want their princess," Mickey whispered as we arrived at the gates to the camp.

_Rose:_

_It's knowing what they want of me that scares me_

_It's knowing having followed that I must lead_

_It's knowing that each person there compares me_

_To those in my past whom I now succeed_

_But how can whatever I do for them now_

_Be enough_

_Be enough_

_**Pyroviles:**_

_**Rose! Rose!**_

_**All we ask of you**_

_**Is a lifetime of service, wisdom, courage**_

_**To ask more would be selfish**_

_**But nothing less will do**_

_**Rose! Rose!**_

The Pyrovile slaves held out a robe made of scrap cloth before me as Donna approaches me.

_Donna:_

_You robe should be golden, your robe should be perfect_

_Instead of this ragged concoction of thread_

_But may you be moved by its desperate beauty_

_To give us new life for we'd rather be dead_

_Then live in the squalor and shame of the slave_

_To the dance!_

_To the dance!_

_**Pyroviles:**_

_**Rose! Rose!**_

_**All we ask of you**_

_**All we ask is a lifetime of**_

_**Service, wisdom, courage**_

_**To ask more would be selfish**_

_**But nothing less will do**_

_**Rose! Rose!**_

_**Pyroviles:**_

_**Rose! Rose!**_

_**Rose! Rose! Rose!**_

I seized the robe the Pyroviles held out before me and moved towards them. Two men hoisted me onto a pedestal where they bowed down before me, as if they were worshiping me.

_Rose:_

_I know expectations are wild and almost_

_Beyond my fulfillment but they won't hear_

_A word of a doubt or see signs of weakness_

_My nigh on impossible duty is clear_

_If I can rekindle my ancestors' dreams_

_It's enough_

_It's enough_

_Rose:_

_It's enough _

The Pyroviles carried me away in a royal display through the camp, celebrating my coming to their rescue.


	10. Act 1 Ch 10

"You've been watching me, again. All week you've been watching me," Theta smirked as he watched the women and I wash the linen at the river's edge.

"I have no idea what you mean," I said innocently as I folded a table-cloth and placed it in the basket next to me.

"Do you think you're going to be given freedom just because you've caught my attention? You're stunningly beautiful, but I'm not so easily led," Theta said.

"The only reason I've watched you is to see if your glass needed filling," I said as I folded a linen towel and put it in the basket.

"I don't have a glass now, yet you keep looking in my direction," he said smugly

"Pardon me, Capitan, but I have linen still to wash," I said as I stood up and walked away.

"I didn't excuse you! Stop!" Theta commanded.

I stopped as I was told and turned around to face him.

"did you want something?" I asked.

"Yes. I want to make life easier for you, Rose. Tell me how? What can I do for you?" he asked me, looking into my eyes.

"Help my people," I told him.

"I want to help _you_," he reminded me.

"I am my people! And I can't stand to see them suffering while I live comfortably in the palace. You want my 'affections' Capitan? Help my people!" I demanded.

"I could have your 'affections' right here if I wished. I want to know if you feel anything for me…aside from hatred," he said, searching my eyes as he released my arm.

"I…I don't know," I said, stepping back.

"Well, let's find out…" he said as he bent down to kiss me.

"Rose, I just saw-" said Mickey as he skidded to a stop.

We broke a part, both of us blushing like mad.

"Rose, Martha needs your help. The princess. Your fiancée," Mickey said, shaking his head at Theta.

_Theta:_

_I once knew all the answers_

_I stood on certain ground_

_A picture of true happiness_

_Confidence so effortless_

_No brighter could be found_

_Mickey:_

_Oh No_

_Theta:_

_I never asked the questions_

_That trouble me today_

_I knew all there was to know_

_Love worn lightly_

_Put on show_

_My conquests on display _

_Mickey: I can't believe He's changing_

_And who'd have thought that _

_Mickey: Oh, no_

_Confidence could die?_

_Not me , Not me _

_Mickey: Not me, not me_

That all I took _for granted was a lie_

_Not me, Not me_

_And who'd have guessed_

_I'd throw my world away_

_To be with someone I'm afraid will say _

_Mickey: This can never be_

_Not me, not me _

Theta browsed a vendor's stall, looking for something special as Mickey stared at him from across the market place.

_Mickey:_

_He's in love_

_But he's not the only one_

_Who'll be changed_

Meanwhile, Martha and I wandered through the market, through row after row of stunning fabrics and fresh produce.

"This would look lovely on you," I said as I held up a piece of midnight blue fabric against Martha's thin frame. "I'll say this for you Gallifreyans, your thread count is amazing."

"Why hasn't Theta come to see me again? Our wedding is in three days, yet…Rose, I've got to make things right with him," Martha said, as she turned to me.

_Rose:_

_I shall not envy lovers_

_But long for what they share_

_Martha:_

_An empty room is merciless_

_Don't be surprised if I confess_

_I need some comfort there_

_**Rose and Martha:**_

_**And who'd have thought**_

_**That love could be so good?**_

_**Not me, not me**_

_**And show me things I never understood**_

_**Not me, not me**_

I had been examining a particularly beautiful swatch of silk when Donna ran up to me, her arms full of new bedddings and rare fruit.

"Rose!"

"Donna, where did you get that?!" I asked her.

"That Gallifreyan Capitan! He's giving away everything he owns and he's giving it all to us!" she said as she ran to the Pyrovile camp to share her new treasure.

I turned to look at Martha, and she turned to look at me in surprise.

_**Who'd have guessed he'd**_

_**Throw his world away**_

_**To be with someone till his dying day**_

_**Not me, not me**_

_**Theta, Rose, and Martha:**_

_**And who'd have thought that love**_

_**Could be so good**_

_**Not me, not me**_

_Mickey: Not me, not me_

_**My/his secrets &**_

_**My/his passions understood**_

_**Not me, not me**_

_Mickey: Not me, not me_

_**Who'd have guessed**_

_**I'd/ he throw My/his world away**_

_**To be with someone till my/his dying day**_

_**Not me/not me **_

_Mickey: This can never be_

"Look at that! He's preparing to move into the palace at last! So whatever doubts he had must be gone!" Martha said as she turned to leave. "Stay, Rose. Apologize for me."

"No, I-I can't do that," I said.

"But you can! You always say the right things! I can never say the right things," she said.

"Please, princess, don't make me," I pleaded.

"I'd never make you do anything. But I'm asking you…as my friend," she said as she left me.

"Thank you," I said as soon as Martha was out of sight.

"It was nothing… Actually, it was everything, but that doesn't matter anymore," he said as he set a ragged blanket on the ground between us.

"Capitan, I came to tell you that the princess is sorry for what happened the other night. And she wants you to know th-"

"Rose."

"You're engaged to my mistress!" I said breathlessly.

"It was arranged by my father, Rose! And it will be unarranged by me!" he said as he came closer to me.

"You could easily raid another planet tomorrow and rebuild your fortune. Theta, you're a Gallifreyan! Nothing will ever change that fact! I don't even know why you're bothering to do this!" I said, walking away from him, shaking my head.

"Don't you?" he asked.

_Theta:_

_We all lead such elaborate lives_

_wild ambitions in our sights_

_How an affair of the heart survives_

_days apart and hurried nights_

_Seems quite unbelievable to me_

_I don't want to live like that_

_seems quite unbelievable to me_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want our time to be_

_slower and gentler, wiser, free_

_We all live in extravagant times_

_playing games we can't all win_

_Unintended emotional crimes_

_Take some out, take others in_

_I'm so tired of all were going through_

_I don't want to live like that_

_I'm so tired of all were going through_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want to be with you_

_Now and forever, peaceful, true_

_This may not be the moment_

_to tell you face to face_

_But I could wait forever_

_for the perfect time and place_

I reached out to caress his face, unable to suppress my feelings for him.

_**Rose & Theta:**_

_**We all lead such elaborate lives**_

_**We don't know whose words are true**_

_**Strangers, lovers, husbands, wives**_

_**Hard to know who's loving who**_

_Rose:_

_Too many choices tear us apart_

_I don't want to live like that_

_Theta:_

_Too many choices tear us apart_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want to touch your heart_

_May this confession_

_**Theta and Rose:**_

_**Be the start**_

He bent down to kiss me and take me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we stood there in a passionate embrace.

He set me down and wrapped his arms around my waist, his face buried in my neck. I shivered from his touch.

"Are you cold?" he asked me.

"You could have kept a blanket or two for yourself," I said as he wrapped the blanket around me.

"No, I couldn't. Man enters this life without possessions. I want to be a new man for you, Rose. Completely reborn. Cleansed of my past," he said as he wrapped his arms around me once more.

"What is it?" I asked him when he looked to the horizon.

"My army has returned, and the Lord President will be expecting me at the victory celebration. Go back to the palace, you'll be safe there," he said as he ran off.

"Wait, take this. If anyone stops you, show this to them and they'll let you pass," he said, handing me his medallion and kissing me.

"I love you," I said softly.

I covered my mouth with my hand to suppress my giggling.

"I heard that," he said turning around to face me. "Say it again, I command you!"

He tried prying my hand from my mouth, but all it did was made us laugh.

"Capitan!" a soldier said, running over to us. Theta steps in front of me, to protect me from the solider.

"I heard the drums. What's the news?" Theta asked the soldier.

"We captured the Pyrovile king," the soldier said.

"The king?! You captured him alive?!" he asked, shocked

"Yes sir!" the soldier said triumphantly.

"Find out who it was, and see to it that they receive the highest honors. Tell the others I'm on my way," he said, dismissing the soldier.

"Yes sir," the soldier said, running off.

"Rose, our planets are at war. I can't change that!" Theta said when he saw that I had backed away from him in horror.

"But he's my…my king," I said, staring at the ground as Theta ran off.


	11. Act 1 Ch 11

"Princess, please say its not true!" Donna pleaded when Mickey and I walked up to the crowd standing by the gates.

"I saw the king dragged through the streets with my own eyes!"

"I've heard they already executed him!"

"And they're parading his severed head through the city on the end of a spike!"

"NO! That's not possible!" I said, shaking my head, refusing to believe what I was hearing.

"Pete is alive! I saw him being taken to the prison" Mickey said over the crowd, calming the storm of chatter.

"But its only a matter of time before the Gallifreyans slaughter him," Donna said in disgust.

"I've always imagined your father riding through the streets of Gallifrey in triumph. But now, we have no hope! When the king dies, so does Pyrovillia," a woman said turning to her husband for comfort.

"No! Pyrovillia will never die! It's alive in our hearts!" I said staring at the crowd.

_Rose:_

_Take me in my dreams recurring_

_Cheerful as a childhood dance_

_Into one more taste of freedom_

_One more longing backward glance_

I could hear a few of the Pyrovile people softly join me in the song we all know so well.

_In the sway of somber music_

_I shall never, never understand_

_Let me slip into the sweeter_

_Chorus of that other land_

_The Osirans love Pyrovillia, the beautiful, the golden_

_The radiant, the fertile, the gentle and the blessed_

_The pain of Pyrovillia is only for the moment_

_the desolate the suffering_

_the plundered, the oppressed_

_Donna:_

_The Osirans love Pyrovillia their glorious creation_

_Its songs roll sweetly across the harvest plain_

_**Rose and Donna:**_

_**The tears of Pyrovillia, a passing aberration**_

_**They wash into the river and are never cried again**_

_**Rose, Donna, Mickey, and the Pyrovile Women:**_

_**The Osirans love Pyrovillia, we have to keep believing**_

_**The scattered and divided, we are still it's heart**_

I could hear more and more people joining the song, our voices growing louder and more hopeful with each person.

_Rose:_

_The fall of Pyrovillia, ephemeral and fleeting_

_The spirit always burning though the flesh is torn apart._

_**All:**_

_**The fall of Pyrovillia**_

_**Ephemeral and fleeting**_

_**The spirit always burning**_

_**Though the flesh is torn apart**_

_**Take me in my dreams recurring**_

_**Cheerful as a childhood dance**_

_**Into one more taste of freedom**_

_**One more longing backward glance**_

_**The Osirans love Pyrovillia, the beautiful, the golden**_

_**The radiant, the fertile, the gentle and the blessed**_

_**The pain of Pyrovillia is only for the moment**_

_**the desolate the suffering**_

_**the plundered, the oppressed**_

_**The Osirans love Pyrovillia**_

_**we have to keep believing**_

_**Though scattered and divided we are still it's heart**_

_**The fall of Pyrovillia ephemeral and fleeting the spirit always**_

_**Burning though the flesh is torn apart**_

_**The spirit always burning though the flesh is torn apart**_

_Rose:_

_Apart_

_**All:**_

_**Take me in my dreams recurring**_

_**One more longing backward glance**_


	12. Act 2 Ch 1

_Martha:_

_It's so strange he doesn't show me_

_more affection than he needs_

_Almost formal too respectful_

_never takes romantic leads_

_There are times when I imagine_

_I'm not always on his mind_

_He's not thinking what I'm thinking_

_Always half a step behind_

_Always half a step behind_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Theta:_

_I'm in every kind of trouble_

_Can't you tell, just look at me_

_Half ecstatic, half dejected_

_All in all I'm all at sea_

_Easy terms I thought I wanted_

_Fill me now with chilling dread_

_You could never know the chaos_

_Of a life turned on it's head_

_Of a life turned on it's head_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

Martha and Theta:

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

_Rose:_

_I am certain that I love him_

_But a love can be misplaced_

_Have I compromised my people_

_In my passion and my haste?_

_I could be his life companion_

_Anywhere but where we are_

_Am I leader? Am I traitor?_

_Did I take a step too far?_

_Rose, Martha, and Theta:_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Did I take a step too far!_


	13. Act 2 Ch 2

Under the cover of night, Mickey and I slipped through the city to the jail where my father was being held.

"A quick word with the prisoner?" Mickey asked the guard standing in front of the cell, a small sack of silver in his hand.

The guard looked around before he snatched it from Mickey's hand, "Alright. Be quick about it."

Mickey and I entered the cell. My father was huddled on the floor, his body thin and shaking from the cold.

"Father?" I asked the figure in the corner.

He stood up, his face lit up in joy.

"Rose!? I knew you'd survive," he said as we stood in a loving embrace.

"You look so thin. Have they mistreated you?" I asked him as he stepped back.

"Not yet. I think they're saving it all for my execution. Three days from now," he said grimly.

"It won't come to that! We're going to get you out of here!" I said.

"In a few days, the daughter of the Lord President will be wed. Most of the guards will be needed to control the crowds," Mickey piped up.

"Who is this Minister of Destruction?" father asked, turning to Mickey.

"That's Mickey, father. You remember? Jackson's son."

"Jackson? Your father was a great scholar and a dear friend of mine. He hoped you'd follow in his footsteps," father said.

"The chief jailer will be attending the wedding. And they've assigned a dimwitted guard to take his place…a man I know."

"You think you can bribe this man that you know?" father asked Mickey.

"Let's just say he and I have done business in the past," Mickey said grinning.

"That'd take a lot of silver," I piped up.

"I have it. For years I've been stealing from the palace, in hopes that I'd be able to get back to Pyrovillia again. But if I can send my king home-"

"We're all going home soon Mickey. Now, how are the docks going to be guarded?" father asked.

"By the Capitan's soldiers."

"So the odds are very slim. Can you use a sword boy?" father said, turning back to Mickey.

"Me?! Well, actually, I'm better at cheering from the sidelines," Mickey said sheepishly.

"A fight won't be necessary. They'll let us through," I said, pulling out Theta's medallion.

"Capitan Theta gave you that?" Mickey asked me.

"Who's this Capitan? A Gallifreyan?!" my father snapped.

"Yes. But he's not like the others father!" I said, seeing the look on his face.

"He leads the Lord President's armies, but he didn't leave our planet in ruins like the others?!" father asked.

"He regrets his past fa-"

"ROSE! Don't shame yourself and me with such worthless thoughts! Don't tell me this Gallifreyan sheds tears of grief for slaughtered Pyrovile men, the ravaged women and the children they took as slaves! Any soft look you've given this Capitan, betrays the innocent people that have suffered at his hands and the hands of every worthless soldier he commands. You will tear him out of your heart," father said, his face disgusted.

"Yes, father," I said softly, the medallion still in my hand.

"I wouldn't have imagined it possible that the Gallifreyans would give me another reason to hate them," father said before turning to Mickey to discuss the escape plans.

_Rose:_

_This is the moment when the Osirans expect me_

_To beg for help but I won't even try_

_I want nothing in this world but myself to protect me_

_But I won't lie down, roll over and die_

_All I have to do is to forget how much I love him_

_All I have to do is put my longing to one side_

_Tell myself that love's an ever-changing situation_

_Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died_

_It's easy, it's easy_

_All I have to do is to pretend I never knew him_

_On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart_

_Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding_

_Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start_

_It's easy, It's easy_

_Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him_

_And how he would have been were I to be with him today_

_Those very rare occasions don't let up they keep on coming_

_All I ever wanted and I'm throwing it away_

_It's easy, it's easy as life_

_But then I saw the faces of a worn , defeated people_

_A father and a nation who won't let a coward run_

_is this how the gods reward the faithful through the ages ?_

_Forcing us to prove the hardest thing we've done_

_Are easy_

_So easy_

_And though I'll think about him till the earth draws in around me_

_And though I choose to leave him for another kind of love_

_There is no denial, no betrayal but redemption_

_Redeemed in my own eyes and in the pantheon above_

_It's easy_

_It's easy as life_


	14. Act 2 Ch 3

"But why did we invade Abydos?" Martha asked as the ministers tracked previous expeditions.

"Because, once we have control of the trade routes there, the rest of the universe opens up to us," Jack said without looking up from the map.

"Yes, but our Gallifreyan army just stormed in and seized power? How barbaric," Martha said, shaking her head.

"Perhaps, princess. But where do you think that necklace of yours came from?" Jack asked, pointing to her necklace.

Martha looked down at the precious stone hanging around her neck. "Suddenly its not so beautiful," she said, taking it off and setting it on the table in disgust.

"You summoned me, father?" Theta asked as he closed the door to the war room behind him. "Princess."

"I've been explaining our expeditions to Martha," Jack said as he studied a map.

"Really?" he said in surprise.

"Yes. Simply because she was wondering what's keeping you from her lately," Jack said as Martha took Theta's hand.

"Theta, my love. I feel as though we haven't had a moment's peace since your return from Pyrovillia. I miss you. Can't we spend this afternoon together?" she asked, massaging his hand.

"Of course we can, my darling. But I would like a word with my father first. You can read this while you wait," he said as he handed her a folded map.

"'The Campaign at Arroyos.'"

"It'll give us something to talk about," Theta said, grinning.

"I never realized we were so lost for topics. Then again, there's a lot I haven't realized," she sighed as she left.

"That was cleaver of you," Theta hissed as soon as Martha was out of sight.

"What!? I can't have you neglecting the girl. Not after all the trouble I've gone to!" Jack hissed back.

"What trouble?! You arranged an unwanted marriage!" Theta snapped.

"There have been other arrangements! Things I've done for you on your behalf!"

"I've never asked you to do anything for me!" Theta said, his voice echoing through the war room.

"No, you're right. You haven't, because you've been spending all your free time with that damn slave girl!" Jack shouted.

"I see you've been spying on me," Theta said as he moved away from his father.

"Theta, you can have your diversions, but wait until you're married!" Jack said, as he walked over to his son.

"Like you did?" Theta said in disgust.

"Your mother never complained!" Jack said loudly.

"She didn't have a choice!" Theta shouted.

"DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT WHORE COULD COST YOU THE LORD PRESIDENT'S THRONE?!" Jack bellowed.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAMN THRONE FATHER! THAT'S BECAUSE I'M NOT LIKE YOU AND I NEVER WILL BE!" Theta bellowed back.

_Jack:_

_Don't come on so cocksure boy, you can't escape your genes_

_No point in feeling pure boy, your background intervenes_

_Listen good and listen straight, you're not the master of your fate_

_To this you must be reconciled, you'll always be your father's child_

_At times acclaimed, at times reviled_

_You'll wind up doing just what I've done_

_Like father, like son_

_Theta:_

_Don't assume your vices get handed down the line_

_That a parent's blood suffices to condemn the child's design_

_I've done wrong, I can't deny, but at least I know that I_

_Shouldn't blame that on my stock, this may come as quite a shock_

_I'm no chip off any block, I wouldn't wish those words on anyone_

_Like father, like son_

_Jack:_

_Son you're nervous, take my hand_

_All is settled, all is planned_

_You've got the world at your command_

_I don't think you understand_

"Are you really going to throw away your future?! All for some slave?!" Jack asked.

"She has a name!" Theta shouted.

"In a few months, you won't be able to remember her name!" Jack shouted back.

_Theta:_

_I appreciate too well_

_The squalor at which you excel_

_it isn't very hard to tell_

_Evil's a distinctive smell_

"YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT YOUR PLANS FATHER! THERE WON'T BE A WEDDING!" Theta bellowed as he stormed out of his father's chamber, leaving Jack horrified.

_Jack:_

_He's lost all sense of reason, and why?_

_Some foreign slut_

_That is the road called treason,_

_Some doors are slamming shut_

_Just like me he's found that flesh can excite but will enmesh_

_Once we rid him of this blight._

_Once this harlot's out of sight._

_Then I think he'll see the light._

_He won't walk back to daddy he will run._

_Like father, like son.. _

"Find the slave girl called Rose. And when you do…kill her," Jack said to his ministers.


	15. Act 2 Ch 4

_I'm sorry for everything I've said_

_And for anything I forgot to say_

_When things get so complicated_

_I stumble at best muddle through_

_I wish that our lives could be simple_

_I don't want the world only you_

_Oh I wish I could tell you this face to face_

_But there's never the time never the place_

_So this letter will have to do_

_I love you..._

I smiled as I reached the bottom of the letter. I hastily folded the letter into my dress as Mickey and the others came over to me.

"Tomorrow princess, you and your father will be free!" Mickey said happily as the Pyroviles gathered around me.

"We will finally live to tell our grandchildren of the king's grand escape!" Donna said with a smile.

"Pyrovillia will prevail! Be quiet!" Mickey said shoving me backwards into the crowd as two guards approached us.

"Good evening, fine sirs. What can I do for you?" Mickey asked the two men.

"We're here for the slave girl called Rose. Which one is she?" one guard snapped.

Before I could say anything, a Pyrovile man put his hand over my mouth, preventing me from blowing my cover.

"I'm Rose!" Donna said, stepping forward.

The two men grabbed her and dragged her away. The Pyroviles waited until the guards were completely out of sight before they let me go.

"Forgive us princess, but you absolutely can't be sacrificed. Anyone of us here would gladly give their lives for Pyrovillia," the man said in my ear.

One by one, the pyroviles went back to their shacks, their heads hung in defeat.

I made to run back to the palace, but Mickey stopped me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I couldn't bear to look him in the eyes, so I kept going.

"You're going to see him aren't you?!"

"Mickey, I can't ask you to understand. Even I don't understand. I have to see him," I said, my hand on the gate.

"No!"

"But I have to. I have to see him."

"No! No! You can't give yourself to him! The Gallifreyans have taken enough from us already. Don't let them take you too," Mickey said as I walked through the gate.

"I'm sorry Mickey," I said, shutting the gate.

_There is a time_

_there is a place_

_When love should conquer all_

_The rest of life is pushed aside_

_as truth and reason fall_

_But only if that selfishness_

_can lead to something good_

_I thought I knew you princess_

_But I never understood_

_I don't know you_

_I don't know you_

"I'm sorry," I said softly as I turned and ran to the palace.


	16. Act 2 Ch 5

That night, I found Theta pacing in his garden. He stared at me for a minute before pulling me into a passionate embrace.

"Rose! I thought they-"

"They came for me, but they took someone else instead. I feel so guilty," I said, hanging my head.

"No! It's my fault! I put you in danger but I swear it won't happen again. I'm calling off the wedding. I'll build us a house on a deserted planet and we can expl-"

"Oh Theta- No! you can't! You can't stop the wedding!" I said, pulling away from him.

"Yes I can and I'm going to!" he said as he pulled me closer to him.

"Theta, I love you, but you have to marry the princess tomorrow. These things you want for us will be impossible. They'll track us down. It's a foolish plan," I said into his chest.

"I'll find a way for us to be together," he said as he held me close.

_Rose:_

_I am here to tell you we can never meet again_

_Simple really, isn't it, a word or two and then_

_A lifetime of not knowing where or how or why or when_

_You think of me or speak of me and wonder what befell_

_The someone you once loved so long ago so well_

_Theta:_

_Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by_

_You don't have to ask me and I need not reply_

_Every moment of my life from now until I die_

_I will think or dream of you and fail to understand_

_How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand_

_Is it written in the stars_

_Are we paying for some crime_

_Is that all that we are good for_

_Just a stretch of mortal time_

_For some Osiran's experiment_

_In which we have no say_

_In which we're given paradise_

_But only for a day_

"Marry the princess, Theta. You can help me. This could be our only chance to do something right! Don't you see?! It may be the whole reason why we met in the first place," I said as I pulled away again.

"That'd be a cruel trick!" Theta said.

"Not if the Osirans put us together for a much greater purpose," I said, trying to make him see what I was trying to do.

_Rose:_

_Nothing can be altered, there is nothing to decide_

_No escape, no change of heart, no anyplace to hide_

_Theta:_

_You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied_

_Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned_

_**Rose & Theta:**_

_**What it is to be in love and have that love returned**_

_Rose:_

_Is it written in the stars_

_Are we paying for some crime_

_Is that all that we are good for_

_Just a stretch of mortal time_

_**Rose & Theta**_

_**For some Osiran's experiment**_

_**In which we have no say**_

_**In which we're given paradise**_

_**But only for a day**_

"Alright, I'll do it. But I want you to do something for me. Go home, leave Gallifrey forever," Theta told me.

"What are you saying?!" I asked staring at him.

"While I'm getting married, there will be a ship waiting for you at the docks to return to Pyrovillia. At least I will have an ounce of happiness knowing that you're free," Theta said, bending down to kiss me passionately.

Theta and I left in the opposite directions.

Martha emerged from the shadows, having heard everything that we said.

_Martha:_

_How did I come to this?_

_How did I slip and fall?_

_How did I throw half a lifetime away_

_Without any thought at all?_

_This should have been my time_

_It's over, it never began_

_I closed my eyes to so much for so long_

_and I no longer can_

_I try to blame it on fortune_

_Some kind of shift in a star_

_But I know the truth and it haunts me_

_it's flown just a little too far_

_I know the truth and it mocks me_

_I know the truth and it shocks me_

_It's flown just a little too far._

Around her, her handmaidens prepared her for her wedding. Putting the finishing touches on her make-up and her hair; taking out her dress for her to step into.

_Why do I want him still?_

_Why when there's nothing there?_

_How to go on with the rest of my life_

_To pretend I don't care_

_This should've been my time_

_It's over-It never began_

_I closed my eyes to so much for so long_

_and I no longer can_

_I try to blame it on fortune_

_Some kind of twist in my fate_

_But I know the truth and it haunts me_

_I learned it a little too late_

_Oh I know the truth and it mocks me_

_I know the truth and it shocks me_

_I learned it a little too late_

_Too late_

Her handmaids stepped away as Martha stood in her dark dressing chamber, devastated tears rolling down her cheeks.


	17. Act 2 Ch 6

"As witnessed by the Osirans and all of Gallifrey, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May your lives both be forever filled with joy on this moment," the Lord President said, as the crowd burst into applause.

As Theta made to lift Martha's veil, a soldier came bursting in, breathless.

"C-Capitan. The Pyrovile king has escaped!" the soldier wheezed.

"Theta! Call your men to arms!" the Lord President said as the gathered crowd began running about.

"Fan out across the city!" Theta said to the still-wheezing soldier.

"The fastest way to Pyrovillia is by stepping through the time vortex. Send a unit to search the dock," Jack ordered.

"No! Seal off the docks!" Theta ordered, remembering Rose was there.

"But what ab-"

"No one can get to the docks before me!" Theta said, running off, leaving his bewildered father in the dust.

At the docks, Mickey, father and I were getting ready to board the ship when we heard the alarms sound.

"Princess, we've got to hurry. They've set off the alarm," Mickey said as he lifted my father into a secure place on the ship.

"Theta!" I said as Theta stormed onto the docks.

"Rose, hurry up!" father said from his place.

"I'm sorry father, but I need one last moment with him," I said running to Theta.

"Damn it Rose!" father said.

"Of course! You're the Pyrovile princess! And you had me marry Martha just so your king could escape! I'm such a bloody fool! It was all an act wasn't it?!" Theta said, his eyes furious.

"No! But I've made too many mistakes and too many people have suffered for it. I can't be selfish now!" I said.

"So you lied to me?!" he snapped.

"Not when I said I loved you! Please tell me you believe me!" I said breathlessly.

"She's alive?!" I heard Jack say from the stairs.

He ran down the stairs two at a time and skidded to a stop at Theta's side, the guards at his heels.

"Stay where you are mister!" Mickey said, holding out a sword.

"Rose! Come on!" father said.

"Rose, get on the ship. It's your last chance to go home!" Theta said as Jack and Mickey fought.

"Not without Mickey!" I said breathlessly.

"Get out of my way, boy!" Jack said, stabbing Mickey.

"MICKEY NO!" I screamed as he fell to his knees.

I pulled away from Theta and ran to Mickey's side. Theta ran to the ship holding my father and slammed his hand down on the release switch.

"Theta, for the love of Gallifrey, stop them!" Jack shouted.

"ROSE!" father bellowed as the ship took off, taking him back home.

"Theta, what have you done?!" Jack asked, horrified.

"It's all over, father. When they come for me, they'll take you as well," Theta said from the release switch.

"No… this isn't happening… Gallifrey needs me," Jack said looking around, horrified.

"Like father, like son. You should get out of here. Far away from Gallifrey," Theta said as he knelt at my side.

Jack ran from the docks at top speed, desperate to get away.

"Theta, he's…" I sobbed.

"F-forgive me, princess. I failed you," Mickey stammered as he lay in my arms, dying.

"Never. Mickey, you inspired me," I said through tears.

"I w-wanted so badly to go back to Pyrovillia. Rose, take me home," Mickey said with his dying breath.

I sobbed into his chest until Theta stood up, taking me with him. I sobbed into his chest until the soldiers surrounded us.


	18. Act 2 Ch 7

"Martha, my love, I never meant to hurt you," Theta said as the Lord President entered the Judgment Hall accompanied by his soldiers.

"Theta, if you deny everything, there's a chance they might be able to save your life. Listen to me now! They want to bury you alive!" Martha told him quickly as her father took his place.

"That is what we do to traitors on this planet," Theta replied.

"You have to tell them they're wrong and th-"

"No, I can't. Rose is everything I thought I was suppose to be and more. Everything I've done in my life has been wrong, except this," Theta said, hanging his head.

"Did you ever love me at all?" Martha asked, looking into his eyes.

"Martha, my love, I've loved you all my life," Theta said as he brushed her cheek. The guard pushed him to his knees. The guard behind me doing the same thing, but with much more force.

"Take your disgusting hands off her! After all, she is a princess," Martha snapped as she walked over to me.

The guard backed away as I got to my feet.

"Martha, there were so many times that I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn't. I couldn't risk being exposed as the Pyrovile king's daughter," I said.

"No wonder you understood me so well," she said in disgust.

"Martha, you have to believe me. It's my fault for what's happened here, not Theta. Please, let him live. Martha, let him live! Please!" I pleaded.

"I…can't"

"Yes you can! Don't you love him?!" I said desperately.

"Yes I-"

"Martha, let's begin," the Lord President said before she could reply.

"Bring the prisoners forth! Jack has been apprehended and we have uncovered his plot. Theta, I trusted you and I trusted your father! Now I will make things right while I still can!" the Lord President said to Theta.

"The traitors will receive their sentences!"

The assembly burst into applause.

"Wait! Father, I have a request," Martha said suddenly, hushing the assembly, making both Theta and I look up.

"What sort of request?" the Lord President asked.

"I know the traitors have to die for what they've done against Gallifrey. But I'm going to ask that they be allowed to die together," Martha said to her father, sending a shocked gasp through the assembly.

"That's mercy! After they disgraced you in front of the entire nation. No!" the Lord President said in disgust.

"I was wronged, I know, but it should be my decision!" Martha insisted.

"No! You don't know what you're thinking! For their crimes the prisoners wi-"

"Your grace, you have poison in your blood! We all know this. Soon I will be completely alone because the people I love the most are being taken from me! So you must let me exercise my judgement over Gallifrey. Because I demand it!" Martha said.

The Lord president studied his daughter for a moment, then stepped aside.

"For their crimes, the traitors will be buried beneath the deserts of Gallifrey, in one tomb, together. The Daughter of the Osirans has spoken," Martha said before she turned and ran from the chamber.

We were taken back to jail, where we were to wait. I sat against the wall while Theta stared out theough the bars into the night.

_Rose:_

_We all lead such elaborate lives_

_Wild ambitions in our sights_

_How an affair of the heart survives_

_Days apart and hurried nights_

_Seems quite unbelievable to me_

_I don't want to live like that_

_Seems quite unbelievable to me_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want our time to be_

_Slower and gentler, wiser, free_

_We all live in extravagant times_

_Playing games_

_we all can't win_

_Unintended emotional crimes_

_take some out take others in_

_Too many choices tear us apart_

_I don't want to live like that_

_Too many choices tear us apart_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want to keep your heart_

_May this confession be the start_

_I know you'll give me courage_

_to face what I must face_

_with all these complications_

_in another time and place_

I stood as Theta turned around. He took me into his arms and held me close.

_**Rose & Theta:**_

_**We all lead such elaborate lives**_

_**We don't know whose words are true**_

_**An affair of the heart survives**_

_**All the pain the world can do**_

_Theta:_

_I'm so tired of all we're going through_

_I don't want to live like that_

_Rose:_

_I'm so tired of all we're going through_

_I don't want to love like that_

_I just want to be with you_

_Now and forever peaceful, true_

We were led through the desert in chains to the tomb where we were to be buried. The guards tooks us down the steep steps to the chamber. They pushed Theta in first and then me and sealed the tomb, enclising us both in total darkness.

"It's so dark. I can't see anything, I said.

"Give me your hands, Rose. I'm right here with you. There's another life waiting for us, Rose. I can feel it. Just like I knew there was a world far beyond the borders of Gallifrey. Just waiting to be discovered," Theta said in the darkness, taking my hands in his.

"Will you find me in that world?" I asked him.

"Even if I have to search a million life times, I'll find you again, Rose. I promise."

_Theta:_

_There'll be no ties of time and space to bind us_

_Rose:_

_And no horizon we shall not pursue_

_**Theta & Rose:**_

_**We'll leave the world's misfortunes far behind us**_

_**And I will put my faith and trust in you**_

Martha slowly walked through the museum.

_Martha:_

_From deep within a tomb_

_A gentle light still shone_

_Showing me my path_

_As I ascended to the throne_

_Certain in my heart_

_That ancient wars must cease_

_The lovers' deaths gave birth_

_to a reign of peace_

_And their story_

_And my journey_

_And the lesson they provide_

_Draw their strength and inspiration_

_from a love that never dies_

Martha slowly walked back to her display case, her handmaids following her, holding her crown on a velvet pillow. Once they arranged the royal crown of Galifrey on her head, they left the museum.

I came out of my daydream, remembering that I'm still at the Gallifreyan museum.

I walked over to the section of tomb once again, staring at it. The young man from before also walked over to it, circling it. Remembering what it was.

I look up at him, and he looks at me. I walked towards him, and he walked toward me, taking me into a loving embrace.

End


End file.
